How methane reduction can support more secure and affordable energy in Southeast Asia

Since 2022, Southeast Asia has been a focal region for Environmental Defense Fund’s global methane mitigation efforts. We started from the ground up: raising methane awareness, engaging policymakers, industry leaders, and building methane science capacity in the region.  

The efforts resulted in tangible achievements: the Methane Leadership Program, a flagship voluntary methane mitigation initiative that brings together Association of Southeast Asian Nations, major national oil companies and international partners, including Japan and EDF, is now entering its third phase. Malaysia’s National Climate Change Policy explicitly recognized methane as a priority climate pollutant. More national oil companies in Southeast Asia are joining OGMP 2.0, and Petronas, Malaysia’s NOC, was the first one in Southeast Asia to set methane reduction targets in 2023 – which it has now exceeded based on self-reporting. The establishment of Methane Emissions Technology Evaluation Center, the first facility of its kind in Southeast Asia, in collaboration with Japan, marks another important milestone. 

EDF has been particularly active on the ground over the past 13 months working with partners across the region to build momentum for methane action. 

We measured emissions, analyzed data, exchanged expertise with partners, and engaged government and industry leaders. Along the way, across countries with very different energy systems and policy priorities, we successfully convinced a growing number of stakeholders in government, industry, and civil society to view methane mitigation not only as a climate solution, but also as a practical pathway to improve energy efficiency, reduce waste, and enhance energy security. 

Why Southeast Asia

Southeast Asia is among the world’s fastest-growing regions, with rising energy demand expected to continue for decades. At the same time, the region is highly vulnerable to climate impacts and increasingly exposed to ongoing volatility in global energy markets; the last made painfully more evident under the current energy crisis. 

Methane sits at the intersection of these challenges. It is responsible for roughly 30% of today’s global warming and traps more than 80 times as much heat as carbon dioxide over a 20-year period. Yet methane is also the primary component of natural gas. When it leaks from oil and gas infrastructure, it not only contributes to climate change but also represents wasted energy and lost economic value. 

According to the International Energy Agency, more than 70% of oil and gas methane emissions in the Asia-Pacific region can be reduced using technologies already available today. In many cases, the value of recovered gas can offset, or even exceed the cost of mitigation. 

For Southeast Asian countries seeking to balance economic growth, energy security, and sustainability, methane reduction is a near-term, cost-effective opportunity to cut waste and retain more value from gas already being produced.  

Sustaining momentum in Malaysia

Malaysia illustrates both the scale of the challenge and the opportunity. An EDF study published in 2025 found that up to 63% of methane emissions from the country’s upstream oil and gas sector could be reduced at no net cost through existing technologies and operational improvements. 

EDF pivoted to a sub-national approach in 2025 focusing on the states of Sabah and Sarawak, the main hydrocarbon producing states in east Malaysia, with Sarawak being the main liquefied natural gas export hub in Southeast Asia.

Against this backdrop, EDF and local partners have been working with Sabah to better understand the methane emissions profile across gas infrastructure to meet the goal of “utilization of Sabah natural gas in a sustainable manner” in Sabah Energy RAMP 2040, the state’s first holistic plan addressing near-term energy needs while building energy resilience.

In neighboring Sarawak, our work has focused on understanding methane and carbon dioxide emissions from the region’s port operations, to help identify emissions reduction opportunities and inform strategies for maritime decarbonization. 

Building blocks for regional action

In Thailand, EDF and local partners are helping establish a national methane baseline and support the development of a methane Measurement, Reporting, and Verification system aligned with international standards. These systems are essential for identifying mitigation opportunities, tracking progress, and attracting investment. Future work will focus on climate policy and methane regulations. 

In Indonesia, local NGO ECADIN used EDF’s publicly available methane and science policy resources to support a six-month capacity-building program for policymakers. The program aimed to equip decision-makers with the technical knowledge and tools needed to design effective methane policies and implementation plans. It has since concluded, generating meaningful government engagement and media coverage.  

No discussion of Southeast Asia’s energy future would be complete without Singapore. Although it is not a producer of oil and gas, Singapore plays an outsized role as a regional center for energy trading, finance, and maritime activity. In 2026, EDF convened leaders from government, finance, and industry to explore how LNG methane management can support the energy transition and maritime decarbonization priorities.

Turning momentum into action

The progress we have seen across Southeast Asia over the past year is encouraging, but there is much work yet to be done. 

The building blocks are taking shape. The next step is to translate momentum into measurable outcomes: expanding methane measurement efforts, creating conditions for methane emissions reductions in Southeast Asia producing countries and its NOCs, and ensuring that methane reduction is integrated into broader energy and climate strategies.  

There are reasons to be optimistic. Awareness is growing, capacity is increasing, and technologies exist. Partnerships across governments, industry, academia, and civil society continue to grow. The opportunity is clear.  

The task now is to build on this foundation and accelerate the transition from aspiration to sustained methane action across Southeast Asia.